As hockey is an amateur sport, much of the reaction to these moves has been negative.

Accusations of buying success are rife, but why should an injection of cash into the domestic game be seen as such a bad thing?

“English hockey is a long way behind other countries," says Great Britain women’s coach Jason Lee, who also spent over a decade in charge of the men’s side.

"For years players and coaches have been going to Belgium, Germany and Holland. because they pay well. It’s starting to happen in this country now.

"Players being able to pay their bills with hockey and being able to commit themselves to training full time is a benefit to club sides and the international side. Hopefully it can help us to be more competitive at all levels.”

Lee’s point is an interesting one. It is no coincidence that the countries he mentions have teams in the final four of the equivalent to football’s Champions League, the Euro Hockey League every season and have international teams winning medals at every tournament.

If the money is invested wisely in the infrastructure of the club, as well as the big-name stars, then hopefully the English game can move towards the more professional model that our European counterparts already have.

A professional approach would surely lead to an improvement in the overall quality of the league, meaning our teams both domestic and international could have more chance of competing with the best in the world.